A Genius from India
Submitted by GM Julio_Becerra Chess.com
Sultan Khan, born in 1905 in Mittha in the Punjab, India, was the strongest chess player from Asia in his time and is unofficially recognized as the first Asian Grandmaster.
According to the Oxford Companion to Chess ‘The greatest natural player of all times’ and to some sources ‘an unlettered, illiterate genius’; ‘[he] was completely illiterate and could therefore not benefit from books on the game’; ‘an illiterate peasant’; ‘completely illiterate’; ‘… his complete inability to read any European textbook on the game’ and so on!
After winning all chess competitions in 1928 in India, Sultan Khan came with Sir Umar Hayat Khan, his patron and master, to London. In four years he won the British Chess Championship three times (1929, 1932, 1933) missing the title only once, in 1931. He also played top board for Britain in the 1930, 1931 and 1933 Olympiads!
In match play he beat Dr Savielly Tartakower in a friendly match.
From 1930 through 1933, Sultan Khan was an active participant in the international tournament panorama, and he did not just participate; he was one of the best players in the world!
He returned to India with Sir Umar in December 1933 and he passed away in Sargodha, Pakistan in 1966.
Today I want to share with you some positions from Sultan Khan's play, but mainly a game that created a sensation in its time; I am talking about the game Sultan Khan-Capablanca played at Hasting 1930-31, where the Indian gave us a lesson about when two rooks are stronger than a Queen. Also remember that was a victory against none other than the great Jose Raul Capablanca!
To conclude I have only to add that Capablanca considered Sultan Khan a genius, a qualification that Capa did not use easily!
Khadilkar, Rohini vs. Sultan Khan, Mir
India
1935
ECO: A03 | 0-1
Black to move
Soultanbeieff, Victor vs. Sultan Khan, Mir
Liege Gelgiun
1930
ECO: E16 | 0-1
Black to move
Ahues, Carl vs. Sultan Khan, Mir
Liege Belgium
1930
ECO: E43 | 0-1
Black to move
Sultan Khan, Mir vs. Yates, Frederick
BCF-ch / London
Round 8 | 1932
ECO: E01 | 1-0
White to move
Sultan Khan, Mir vs. Capablanca, Jose Raul
Hastings 3031 | Hastings | Round 3| 1930 | ECO: E12 | 1-0
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 b6 3. c4 Bb7 4. Nc3 e6 5. a3 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Bg5 Be7 8. e3 O-O 9. Bd3 Ne4 10. Bf4 Nd7 11. Qc2 f5 12. Nb5 Bd6 13. Nxd6 cxd6 14. h4! Rc8 15. Qb3 Qe7 16. Nd2 Ndf6 17. Nxe4 fxe4 18. Be2 Rc6 19. g4! Rfc8 20. g5 Ne8 21. Bg4 Rc1+ 22. Kd2 R8c2+ 23. Qxc2 Rxc2+ 24. Kxc2 Qc7+ 25. Kd2 Qc4 26. Be2 Qb3 27. Rab1 Kf7 28. Rhc1 Ke7 29. Rc3 Qa4 30. b4 Qd7?! ( 30... Ba6 31. b5 ) ( 30... Bc6 31. Bd1 Qa6!? 32. Bb3 ( 32. Rxc6? Qd3+ 33. Kc1 Qxa3+ 34. Rb2 Qa1+ 35. Rb1 Qa3+ ) 32... Qb5 33. Rbc1 Bd7 ) 31. Rbc1 a6 32. Rg1 Qh3 33. Rgc1 ( 33. Bg4 Qxh4 34. Bg3 Qxg5 35. Bc8 Bxc8 36. Bxd6+ Kxd6 37. Rxg5 Bd7 ) 33... Qd7 34. h5 Kd8 35. R1c2 Qh3 36. Kc1 Qh4 37. Kb2 Qh3 38. Rc1 Qh4 39. R3c2 Qh3 40. a4 Qh4 41. Ka3 Qh3 42. Bg3 Qf5 43. Bh4! g6 ( 43... Qh3 44. g6+! Qxh4 45. gxh7 ) 44. h6 Qd7 45. b5! a5 46. Bg3 Qf5 47. Bf4 Qh3 48. Kb2 Qg2 49. Kb1 Qh3 ( 49... Qxf2 50. Bg4 Qh4 51. Rg1! ) 50. Ka1 Qg2 51. Kb2 Qh3 52. Rg1 Bc8 53. Rc6 Qh4 54. Rgc1 Bg4 55. Bf1 Qh5 56. Re1 Qh1 57. Rec1 Qh5 58. Kc3 Qh4 59. Bg3 Qxg5 60. Kd2 Qh5 61. Rxb6 Ke7 62. Rb7+ Ke6 63. b6 Nf6 64. Bb5 Qh3 65. Rb8
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